Assad sees no date for Syria talks, mulls re-election
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Monday no date had been set for an international conference on ending his country’s civil war and cast doubt on whether it could succeed if held now.
Obama speaks to France’s Hollande about spying reports
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama spoke to French President Francois Hollande on Monday about press reports disclosing alleged large-scale American spying on French citizens, the White House said in a statement.
Malaysia’s Najib seen levying consumption tax to curb budget deficit
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will trim the government’s hefty subsidy bill and likely announce a new consumption tax later this week as he delivers a budget seen as crucial to ward off a possible credit downgrade and re…
Bolshoi ballet dancer to stand trial over acid attack
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko, who made his name on stage at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre, goes on trial on Tuesday for an acid attack that nearly blinded the ballet’s artistic director.
Mozambique faces uncertainty as Renamo ends 1992 peace pact
MAPUTO (Reuters) – Mozambique’s Renamo opposition movement said on Monday it was abandoning its 1992 peace accord with the ruling Frelimo party that ended the country’s civil war, raising fears of a renewal of conflict in the budding African energy pro…
Nigerian insurgents kill 10 villagers in revenge attack
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) – Gunmen suspected to be from the Boko Haram Islamist sect stormed two villages in northeast Nigeria, killing 10 people, after a botched attempt by local vigilantes to arrest some of the militants.
Congo peace talks stall, U.N. concerned by military buildup
KINSHASA/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Talks to end a two-year insurgency in eastern Congo stalled on Monday after the government rejected a call for amnesty for M23 rebel leaders as the United Nations expressed concern at a military buildup by the group …
U.S. tries to calm Saudi anger over Syria, Iran
PARIS/KUWAIT (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sought on Monday to calm rising tensions with Saudi Arabia, which has spurned a U.N. Security Council seat in fury at inaction over the crisis in Syria.
Angola denies Congo incursion, says lost troops entered its territory
LUANDA (Reuters) – Angola’s Foreign Minister Georges Chikoti said on Monday that Congo Republic soldiers had got lost and stumbled across the border, contradicting Congolese accusations that Angolan forces had invaded its territory and seized its soldi…
Mali’s Keita calls for more local autonomy, rejects secession
BAMAKO (Reuters) – Mali’s president asked a national congress on Monday to draw up plans for increased regional autonomy, a year after northern separatists and their Islamist allies seized two-thirds of the country, prompting France to send in troops.
